The marina murder mystery
by Welshwitch
Summary: Crossover story with JAG. Co written by Evanscene


The marina murder mystery  
  
Friday night right before midnight, the nightlife of Los Angeles came to live as Dee Dee McCall drove down Hollywood Boulevard on her way to the marina. She had received a call half an hour ago that a dead body was found.  
  
Dee Dee was alone. Of all nights, her partner Rick Hunter was working for Narcotics tonight, trying to bust down a huge smuggle gang. And she was now out on her own..  
  
Dee Dee arrived at the marina exactly 45 minutes after she had received the call at her house. She stepped out of the car, flashed her badge into the face of a cop who was guarding the crime scene and she could walk through. There she met the coroner, who was sitting down next to the body of a young man.  
  
"Evening" Dee Dee said and got herself some gloves "what have we got here, doctor?" She sat down beside the body herself and inspected it. All she saw was the gunshot wound this man had through his head.  
  
"One gunshot wound through the head.." the coroner answered "Seems he has been dead for a few hours. His body was cold... but that's what happens when you get dumped into the water.. But I think its been almost 24 hours.."  
  
"Any signs of a struggle?" Dee Dee wanted to know. Her brown eyes looked around the crime scene. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. A cop was talking to a man with some dirty clothes and she guessed it had been the man who found the body.  
  
"None.. I think someone surprised him," the coroner answered "I can tell you more after the autopsy. Goodnight Sergeant.." His assistant bagged the body and put it in the van, they left.  
  
Dee Dee stood up and was approached by the cop she had seen talking to the witness. He shook his head: "Weird guy.. he found the body. Says he comes here often to check out the navy ships that dock here all the time.. And all of a sudden he saw this naked man.."  
  
"Anything that confirms his ID?" Dee Dee wanted to know but the cop shook his head.  
  
"Nothing. Divers are still in the water but we don't expect too much of it.." the cop answered and he looked at Dee Dee "Seems to me you've got yourself a John Doe here, Sergeant.."  
  
Dee Dee walked into the Homicide Department the next morning a little after nine. When she reached her desk she found the report from the coroner. She suspected the poor man worked all night long. Some people just don't have a life..  
  
"What's up?" she heard behind her and Dee Dee turned around when she heard the well known voice from her partner Rick Hunter. But she raised an eyebrow when she saw he had his arm in a sling.  
  
"What happened to you?" she wanted to know and looked at him with questioning eyes.  
  
"Those guys are really not nice when they discover they are busted" Hunter said, referring to the gang they brought in last night "One of them used a knife on me, but it's nothing serious. What you got there, McCall?"  
  
"Dead man found in the marina last night.." Dee Dee answered "John Doe, single shot through the head. Let's see what the report has to say.." She quickly read it and than she showed Hunter a picture.  
  
"What does this look like to you?" she asked.  
  
Rick Hunter looked at the picture his partner gave him. It showed the upper arm of the man that was found the night before. It contained a tattoo. It looked like wings... wings somebody got in the navy or air force when he was a pilot.  
  
"Flying wings" Hunter answered and McCall nodded. She just wanted to answer when she heard her name behind her. She turned around and saw two people enter the department.  
  
A man in navy whites and a woman in army green. He appeared to be a bit older, but she was quite young, in her early thirties. The woman smiled when she approached McCall and said: "I am Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, with the JAG Corps. This is Captain James Andrews. Are you investigating the murder in the marina?"  
  
"I am" McCall answered and glanced at her partner "We are.. Colonel, Captain.. this is my partner Rick Hunter. How can I help you?"  
  
"We believe the dead man that was found is a sailor from Captain Andrew's ship" Colonel Mackenzie answered "I hope this doesn't sound strange, but did the victim have a tattoo on his upper arm?"  
  
"This one?" UnteHunter Hunter asked and handed the picture to the Colonel. She gave it to the Captain. He looked at it, nodded and than looked up to Hunter and McCall.  
  
"Your John Doe now has a name Sergeant.." he said "Seaman first class Jason Coates.. He didn't return from shore leave. When I heard about the body found, I decided to check it out"  
  
"Sergeant McCall, we don't want a dispute over who's got jurisdiction here.." Colonel Mackenzie started, but McCall interrupted her when she sensed where this was heading to.  
  
"Its our town!" McCall said "Its our territory. I understand this is one of your own Colonel Mackenzie but.."  
  
"Please, call me Mac.." Colonel Mackenzie answered "And all I wanted to say is that it would be better for JAG and the LAPD to work on this case together. We can get you on the ship so you can talk to the crew, while you can arrange anything here in town."  
  
McCall smiled. "You just got yourself a deal.."  
  
"Why don't we discuss the details over lunch?" Hunter added.  
  
"Sounds fine," Mac answered.  
  
"First we have to go by the morgue for the official ID." McCall said to Mac and the Captain.  
  
"What about me?" Hunter looked at her with a questioning look.  
  
"Why don't you make a start with the paperwork, we won't be long," she flashed him a devilish smile and walked out with the two officers following her.  
  
********************  
  
Later that morning the three of them were sitting at a table in Sid's diner discussing the case and having lunch.  
  
"So there is a witness," Mac said reading the file.  
  
"I wouldn't call him a witness, he only found the body," Hunter said, he was impressed by this smart and beautiful woman.  
  
McCall noticed and didn't like it, she felt jealous.  
  
"I'm not sure if he's useful to us, he's kinda weird. He acted very nervous when the officer was questioning him," McCall said.  
  
"Maybe we should ask Sporty for help." Hunter suggested.  
  
"Sporty?" Mac raised her eyebrows.  
  
"He's our informant, you ask he'll deliver."  
  
"Hmm, maybe that's a good idea." McCall said to him.  
  
"I made a call to the Admiral last night to ask for someone to help me. He send Commander Harmon Rabb to assist. He should be on board the Washington right now," Mac said as she looked at her watch.  
  
"Well what are we waiting for, let's go," Hunter stood up.  
  
"Your turn to pay," he said to McCall who flashed him the dirtiest look she could make.  
  
On their way to the harbour Hunter got a hold of Sporty. He explained the situation and Sporty told him he would do his best to find anything out. They arrived at the Washington and went on board. Mac led them to the bridge where they met Commander Rabb. After filling him in on the details he asked Hunter and McCall where they would like to start.  
  
"I think we should talk to his room mate first," McCall said.  
  
Harm nodded and McCall didn't miss the look he shared with Mac when the four of them left the bridge to have a chat with Jason Coates' bunkmate. She wondered what was going on between the two of them.  
  
"Mac, how long have you been in the Corps?" Hunter asked her and Mac looked over her shoulder when she heard him mention her name.  
  
"Long enough.." she answered and she shared another look with Rabb beside her. It seemed they had that special look and an even more special smile. She blushed slightly when she saw McCall had seen what happened.  
  
They arrived at the quarters where Seaman Jason Coates and his bunkmate, Seaman Todd Richmond were staying. They found him there and he looked up when the four of them walked in. As soon as he saw Harm and Mac, he saluted.  
  
"At ease, Seaman" Mac said and then she looked at Hunter and McCall "Seaman, please meet Sergeants Hunter and McCall from the LAPD. They are also investigating the death of Seaman Jason Coates.."  
  
"Nice to meet you" the young man answered as he looked at Hunter and McCall.  
  
McCall guessed he was about nineteen years old and in his navy whites uniform he actually looked pretty cute. She smiled and then her eyes met Mac's for a second. Mac nodded. McCall could take the lead if she wanted.  
  
"Seaman Richmond, when was the last time you saw Jason Coates?" McCall wanted to know and looked at the young man.  
  
"About two days ago. We both went on shore leave but he never came back.." Richmond answered "the Captain said that Coates wouldn't be happy when he came back. He had to scrub the entire deck as a punishment for returning late..."  
  
"Do you happen to know anyone that might want to hurt Seaman Coates?" Harm asked but Richmond shook his head.  
  
"Coates was the quiet one. The one who never said anything, who never drank too much, who treated women the way you should, who wrote his mother every week, he didn't smoke and he never tried drugs..." Richmond answered. "He appeared to be perfect."  
  
"Someone didn't think of him as perfect" Hunter said and exchanged a look with McCall. He saw the look in her eyes when she looked at him. Like she was trying to hide something she didn't want him to know.  
  
"You mean the Seaman has never been into any trouble?" Mac asked and Todd Richmond again shook his head.  
  
'This is all for now" Harm said and the four of them left the quarters again. Outside, they all looked at each other and McCall raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Why would someone murder the perfect kid?" she wondered but no one could answer.  
  
"Dee Dee, how about dinner tonight?" Mac asked as they left the Washington and she looked at McCall. Hunter and Harm were walking ahead of them and seemed to have found a mutual interest; football.  
  
"Sure" McCall answered and smiled "I'll pick you up at eight!"  
  
*********************  
  
That evening the two of them were having dinner at McCall's favourite Italian place.  
  
"What is it between you and Commander Rabb?" McCall asked between two spoons full. "I saw the way you look at each other."  
  
Mac blushed.  
  
"We are involved romantically, but haven't told anyone yet."  
  
"Are you allowed to have a relationship while working together?"  
  
"Yes as long as we do our job. We even have a married couple in the office."  
  
"Hmm." McCall put another spoon full of pasta in her mouth.  
  
"How about you and Sergeant Hunter?" Mac asked.  
  
McCall almost chocked on the pasta, "Us? We are just best friends and partners, that's all."  
  
Mac looked at her intently, "Why don't I believe you."  
  
McCall looked down at her plate like a child who had been caught with it's hand in the cookie jar, "Okay, I love him. He's the most caring and sweet guy I know."  
  
"Why not go for it?"  
  
"No, we would be split up as partners and I don't want to ruin the friendship we have now."  
  
"But this way you'll never know if he feels the same way."  
  
"I know, but I'm just not ready to tell him yet. Besides he's been kinda occupied lately, with you."  
  
"Yeah, I noticed."  
  
"You are the type of woman he usually dates. Tall, thin, good looking only not blond."  
  
"Hmm, I could die my hair."  
  
Mac's comment made them both laugh.  
  
"What do you make of this case?" Mac asked her.  
  
"I don't know, it's all kind of a mystery. The perfect guy ends up dead, that makes me wonder, was he really that perfect or is there more than meets the eye."  
  
"I hope your informant can find out something."  
  
"He never let us down so far."  
  
They had a great evening together and it was early morning when McCall dropped Mac off at her hotel. She had the feeling she made a friend.  
  
*********************  
  
When she got home there was a familiar car in the driveway, a clunky green Dodge Monaco, Hunter's car. It was empty. She walked to her house, opened the door and saw him sleeping on her couch.  
  
She sneaked over to him and crossed her arms while looking down at him. He was sleeping like a baby, all curled up. And it appeared he was sleeping pretty tight cause he didn't even notice that she was there.  
  
He had crashed on her couch before but usually he woke up as soon as she approached him. But now he didn't and this was just the perfect moment.  
  
Carefully, Dee Dee approached him and sat down on her knees in front of his face. She blew some warm air into it and he made some noises. His hand moved over his face and she grinned. If only she could take a picture, or even better... a video!  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" McCall raised her voice and it immediately woke her partner up. He fell off the couch and looked up to his partner. He saw her laughing, but didn't look too happy himself.  
  
"Couldn't you have tried to wake me like a normal person does?" he said at an angry tone and sat back on the couch. Still laughing, McCall sat down next to him.  
  
"I did... you didn't answer me" she said. Suddenly she thought of something. If she told Hunter Mac was dating Harm, maybe he would finally turn his eyes back to her again. And maybe then...  
  
"Where were you? Its almost 5.30!" Hunter said and McCall grinned.  
  
"Out.. with Mac" McCall answered and she saw how her partner raised an eyebrow "Can you keep a secret? She is having a relationship with her partner, Commander Rabb. But nobody knows yet..."  
  
"She is dating her partner?" Hunter repeated and that was about all he said.  
  
"What were you doing here anyway?" McCall changed the subject after her message about Mac dating Harm and looked at her partner.  
  
"I came by to watch a movie.. I said I would, earlier this week.." Hunter said "And you said I could come by any night. Well, you weren't home. I took the spare key and decided to wait until you got there. But... you didn't"  
  
"I'm here now" McCall said and looked at him "So where is that movie you brought? I hope it's a good one.. the last one we saw was so poor it made me cry!"  
  
"Knock knock" Mac said as she walked into Harm's motel room. He was lying on his bed watching TV and looked up as she came in. She wondered why he was awake  
  
"Hello there" Harm said and glanced at her "Good to see you found your way back. Do you have any idea what time it is?"  
  
"5.37 and 16 seconds. I'm sorry baby" Mac answered and sat down on the bed with her lover "Dee Dee and I just had a great time and before we knew it, the sun started to come up. I told her about us, you know.."  
  
"You did?" Harm asked as he stroked Mac's arm. She snuggled into his embrace.  
  
"She's in love with her partner" Mac answered "And even though Mr Hunter has is eyes on me right now, I just know he loves her too. But they are afraid to admit it."  
  
Harm smiled and kissed Mac. She answered his kiss and let him slowly undress her. He grinned and said: "Then maybe its time for you and me to help them.."  
  
McCall felt how her eyes got heavy. It was almost 7 in the morning and she hadn't slept at all. She felt like a ghost and when she saw how Hunter looked at her, she knew she was a ghost.  
  
"Take a shower" Hunter said "It will make you feel better. And I'll make some strong coffee"  
  
McCall dragged herself up the stairs and finally, she stepped under the shower. Hunter was right, taking a shower did make her feel better. The warm water cherished her skin and it flushed the tired feeling.  
  
She wrapped a towel around her body and went to her bedroom. There she took some comfortable jeans and a white sweater out of the wardrobe. Her wet black curls fell down her face when she slipped into her jeans. As she zipped up, she felt someone was looking at her.  
  
Hunter was standing in the door stand, holding a cup of coffee. He looked ashamed, at least a little. He had seen his partner in her underwear and now she had put on her jeans. But she was still standing there, only wearing her bra.  
  
"I'm sorry" Hunter said "I just wanted to bring you the coffee"  
  
"Its okay, Rick" McCall answered and threw her hair back. She knew Hunter now had a clear view on everything she had and she didn't mind. And neither did she miss his look before he turned around and walked away..  
  
Quickly she put on the sweater and followed him to the kitchen. "Rick." she said in a soft voice.  
  
"I'm sorry McCall, I don't know what came over me," he interrupted her and turned to face her.  
  
"Don't be. I wanted to do this for a long time," she said and stood on her toes to give him a gentle kiss on his lips.  
  
He gathered her in his strong arms and kissed her back with more passion.  
  
The scene that unfolded next was one of two passionate people heading for the bedroom leaving various pieces of clothing behind in their way up.  
  
They made love and fell asleep afterwards.  
  
*************************  
  
The ringing of the phone woke them up an hour and a half later. It was Sporty, "I've got something you might be interested in," he told McCall who had picked it up. "Meet me at the usual place."  
  
"We'll be there in thirty minutes," she said. Hunter looked at her with an 'oh no' look.  
  
"He's got something important for us, come on," she kissed him quickly and got out of bed to head for the shower.  
  
Fifteen minutes later they were on their way.  
  
Meanwhile at the hotel Harm was getting dressed, Mac was watching him from the bed. "What are we going to do about our two love struck cops," she asked him.  
  
"How about a date that they know nothing about."  
  
"A blind date with each other?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"I like the idea Harm."  
  
"Okay, I'll set it up."  
  
Hunter and McCall met with Sporty at the newsstand he calls his headquarters. "You two got yourselves a real dirty dead man here, Sergeants," he started.  
  
"What do you mean, all that we've been hearing is that he's the perfect son in law type," McCall responded.  
  
Sporty looked at her over the rim of his sunglasses, "Son in law type? Him? My dear McCall this guy is the sort of man your mother warns you about and your daddy likes to kick out of the house."  
  
Now it was McCall's turn to look surprised.  
  
"Quit the small talk Sporty, spill it," Hunter intervened.  
  
"Okay, word is that this guy was running a big drug operation between China and America. He was no middleman, he's the big fish. Turns out he was double crossing some of his clients. You don't mess with these Asian types, they don't care about your life, you know."  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
"He told them he had some good stuff for them but delivered it to the competition for more money. Bad for business I tell you."  
  
"Do you have anything on who might have killed him?" Hunter wanted to know.  
  
"Some guy named Ming Wah, he's a gang member with the Blue Dragons, they were hired to kill him."  
  
"This is the break we need, thanks Sporty. You know where to pick up the reward huh?" "I'll be there."  
  
They walked to the car and got in, "We better inform our two Navy colleagues and bring this guy Ming Wah in," Hunter said to McCall. She nodded in agreement.  
  
They went to the motel where Harm and Mac were staying and knocked onto the door of Mac's room. They heard some stumbling and where not surprised to see Harm open the door. But he was in uniform. They saw Mac coming out of the bathroom, brushing her hair.  
  
"Have we got news for you" Hunter said and he and McCall told Harm and Mac about what Sporty told them.  
  
Harm and Mac shared a meaningfull look and Mac smiled. "Time to pay a little visit to the roommate of our deadman. Let's see what he can tell us.."  
  
The four of them went to see Todd Richmond and ran in to him just as he wanted to leave the ship. He was surprised to see Harm, Mac, Hunter and McCall show up and stopped. When they reached him he saluted Harm and Mac and said: "What can I do for you?"  
  
"We have reason to believe that your roommate wasn't so perfect as everyone wants us to believe he was" Hunter said, "Where did this ship come from."  
  
"Bejing, sir" Richmond answered "We have been lying in a Chinese harbour for two weeks, give or take a few days, and went back to the States"  
  
"Did you notice anything strange about Jason Coates during your time in Bejing?" Mac asked.  
  
"No ma'am" Richmond answered and he glanced at Harm. The tall naval officer had crossed his arms over his chest and it was clear he didn't believe a word of what Todd Richmond was saying. He knew a liar when he saw one.  
  
"Cut the crap" Mac said "There has to be something.."  
  
"Well, there was a Chinese girl he often saw during those two weeks" Richmond answered "He even brought her on board without permission, only one night. He saw her when he was off duty and could leave the ship. I believe he emailed her too"  
  
Mac looked at Hunter and he nodded. "We'll get someone to check out his computer. Do you happen to know the name of the girl?" he asked.  
  
"She had an American last name, not a strange Chinese one. Her last name was Jones, or so Jason told me one and her first name was... Xian! Her first name was Xian. Xian Jones" Richmond answered "And that's all I can tell you"  
  
"So far that's all we need to know.." Harm said and the four of them left.  
  
"I'll call Bud and ask him to track down this Xian Jones" Harm said "If she really has an American last name, it shouldn't be very hard. And maybe he can also find out what this ship was doing in Bejing those two weeks.."  
  
"And we get someone to get into Jason Coates computer and see what he can find out.." McCall said "Maybe there's a chance we can get our hands on some kind of correspondence between Coates and that Chinese girl.."  
  
While talking, the four of them left the marina and went back to the car. Hunter and McCall were sitting in the front, Harm and Mac in the back. Hunter drove to the motel to drop of Harm and Mac. When he parked the car, Mac moved in the back seat.  
  
"Come on Harm.." she said and looked beside her. Harm was messing around with his cell phone, obviously trying to call Bud back at the JAG Headquarters. She heard a well known sound coming from the phone and she smiled. "Your battery is dead.."  
  
"Hey Rick.. you wanna go and have a beer tonight?" Harm asked "Considering the fact the ladies went out last night.."  
  
"Sure, I'll meet you here at eight." Hunter said and glanced at McCall while Harm and Mac stepped out of the car. She missed the look he gave her cause she was thinking about last night.  
  
"What's on your mind?" Hunter asked McCall when they had stopped for a red light.  
  
"Last night," she said honestly without looking at him.  
  
"Oh," was all he had to say.  
  
"Hunter," she said softly and looked him straight in the eye now, "Was it as good for you as it was for me?" Her honesty surprised and confused him, she never talked about these things.  
  
The only thing he could do was give her an honest answer back, "It was Dee Dee."  
  
Meanwhile the light had turned green and a row of cars blowing their horn was standing behind them. They didn't notice until one of them pulled over next to them asking what the hell they were doing. Hunter flashed his badge at him and told him to drive on.  
  
*********************  
  
Back at the precinct they spend the day finishing some paperwork and brainstorming about the next step to take. A special unit of computer experts had picked up Jason Coates's computer and were going through his emails.  
  
"We still have to check out Sporty's lead on Ming Wah," McCall said.  
  
"Let's do that first thing tomorrow. It's almost six, I'm going home and get ready for a boys night out remember."  
  
"Yeah, I do." she rather had him with her tonight."I'm gonna stick around for a while, see what the experts come up with."  
  
"Okay, see you tomorrow."  
  
"Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do." He rolled his eyes and left.  
  
McCall went to the office of the special unit to see what they had found so far.  
  
***************************  
  
Harm was getting ready the night out, "I found a great restaurant for the blind date between our two friends," he said to Mac from the bathroom.  
  
"Good, now the hard part, getting them there."  
  
"We have to come up with a really good story," Harm said coming out of the bathroom only dressed in a towel.  
  
"I think I have an idea how to get them there," Mac said with a twinkle in her eyes.  
  
"Let's hear it."  
  
**********************  
  
Back at the precinct McCall got some results, the experts had pulled a stack of emails from Coates's computer. Reading them turned out to be pretty interesting, it provided her with a lot of new information. She went to dispatch and called Hunter, "L56, come in please."  
  
"McCall?? This better be important."  
  
"It is. The experts pulled a lot of emails from Coates's computer. Turned out he and this Xian Jones were in it together, they planned the whole scheme. There was one email that looked kinda strange to me. Xian knew Ming Wah, what if she set Coates up."  
  
"Hmm, I think this boys night will have to wait. I'll pick up our Seamen, I think they'd want to be in on this."  
  
"Okay, meet me at the Blue Dragon's warehouse."  
  
"Okay, L56 out."  
  
It was pitch dark in the alley where McCall had parked her car, she had a good look at the warehouse across the road. Hunter parked his car behind hers, the three of them got out and got in with her.  
  
"Nothing yet," she said to Hunter and turned to Harm and Mac, "This guy we are looking for Ming Wah is the gang's handyman, he does most of the dirty work. He lives in the warehouse."  
  
"I see," Harm said, "Are you sure he is home?"  
  
"Actually no, according to our informant he hardly leaves the building."  
  
"Okay, let's check it out. Have you talked to Charlie about this?" Hunter wanted to know.  
  
"Yeah, backup is standing by."  
  
They went inside, checked everything inch by inch. The warehouse had nothing in it except for a couple of empty drums. Mac entered Ming Wah's quarters and found his lifeless body, he had been shot and hadn't been dead very long.  
  
"Harm, Hunter, McCall, our suspect is dead. He has been shot not very long ago. The killer might." she didn't get the chance to finish her sentence, a shot rang through the building. They all took cover.  
  
"Where did that shot come from?" Hunter asked McCall who was hiding behind him.  
  
"As far as I can tell, the other side of the room." Another shot and this time they could see clearly where it came from.  
  
"Call for backup," Hunter said to her, "I'm gonna try to get behind the shooter."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Very carefully Hunter managed to get behind the shooter, "Police, drop your weapon and put your hands behind your head!!" he yelled. Knowing the situation was hopeless the shooter did as Hunter said. "Walk to where I can see you!!" he ordered.  
  
When the shooter stepped out of the dark Hunter saw whom he was dealing with, a young woman.  
  
She was arrested and taken to the precinct where Hunter and McCall interrogated her. Harm, Mac and Charlie were watching through the see through mirror. After an hour they had a result, the woman was Xian Jones.  
  
Like McCall thought she and Ming Wah worked together. She had double crossed Coates by pretending to help him while all she wanted were the drugs for herself. Ming Wah killed him and made it look like a gang was behind it. He wanted a bigger cut and threatened to go to the police with everything he knew if he didn't get it. He thought he knew enough to get a good deal with the police. That's when she decided to get rid of him.  
  
Later that night the four of them were sitting in the squad room having coffee.  
  
"Well that's another case solved," Hunter said smiling.  
  
"And what a case it was," McCall added.  
  
"We want to thank you for your help," Mac said to them, "It's been good working with you."  
  
"Why don't we take you to dinner," Harm said and looked at his watch, "Tonight. I spotted a nice restaurant named The Garden."  
  
"The Garden huh," Hunter replied, "I'd better wear a suit then."  
  
McCall gave him a dirty look, "We'd love to go is what he's trying to say."  
  
"Okay, it's a deal."  
  
*******************************  
  
The next day was spend on paperwork and the last details of the case. At around six that evening Hunter was standing in front of his partners house, waiting for her to open the door.  
  
"Wow, you look stunning," he said when she was standing in front of him.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
She was wearing a long sleeveless black dress with black pumps and a burgundy shawl, it matched his dark blue suit perfectly.  
  
Hunter stood there watching her, as she gathered some things together, she looked so beautiful. Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "I'm ready, let's go."  
  
They drove to the restaurant where, at least they thought, Harm and Mac were waiting for them.  
  
"May I help you?" the headwaiter asked Hunter.  
  
"Yes, we have reservations for Rabb."  
  
"Ahh, follow me please." he took them to a table for two.  
  
"There must be a mistake, two friends will be joining us," Hunter said.  
  
"Sorry Sir, but this reservation is for a table for two. Oh and this note." he handed Hunter a piece of paper.  
  
They sat down at the table and Hunter started to read the note,  
  
"Dear Rick and Dee Dee, Our initial plan was a blind date for you but this was easier to plan. Have a great evening on us and we'll talk later. Harm and Mac."  
  
"I think we've just been set up," McCall said in disbelief.  
  
"I wonder why..." Hunter said with questioning eyes, reading the note once again.  
  
"I think I know why.." McCall answered as she remembered her night out with Mac. She had told her how she felt about Hunter and this had to be some kind of plan Harm and Mac made to get them together.  
  
"And why would they?" Hunter wanted to know and he observed that McCall avoided looking at him, "Care to fill me in?"  
  
"The night, when I was out with Mac, she and I talked. When she told me about her and Harm, she asked about me and you" McCall answered, "I told her there was nothing between us but..."  
  
"But what?" Hunter asked and now she looked up to meet his eyes.  
  
"I told her I was.. and am... in love with you.." McCall answered  
  
"You told her you're in love with me?" Hunter said in complete surprise to her words and he looked at her "Why? I mean, why did you never tell me you feel this way?"  
  
"You think it's easy confessing to your best friend, your partner, your buddy... that you're in love with him?" McCall sighed and closed her eyes for a moment "And I knew Mac would understand the way I feel... she went through it too"  
  
"Yeah, she did... And she's now in a relationship with her best friend... now her lover.." Hunter answered "But what happened between us, Dee Dee.. was special. And I think we're at the same point they are. We came just as far... We're together now too.."  
  
"So you're okay with that? With us being together?" McCall asked and felt how Hunter got a hold of her hand. She looked up to meet his eyes. He didn't need to answer, she could see into his soul and read what he wanted to say.  
  
"Yeah, I am okay with us.." Hunter answered as he bend forward to steal a kiss from her. He looked into her eyes. "But maybe we can let Harm and Mac believe that this date didn't have the result they wanted to have.."  
  
"What's going on in that mind of yours?" McCall asked and blinked "I am not sure if its something I want to know. That mind of yours is not always a nice place to be, partner"  
  
Hunter just grinned and whispered something in her ear. Her smile became wider as he told her more about the little plan he had.  
  
*************************  
  
Harm and Mac didn't know what to think when Hunter and McCall came to pick them up to take them to the airport, like they agreed on the day before. As soon as they got in the car, McCall made a comment about Hunter's driving.  
  
"Why are you such a lousy driver?" McCall complained and rolled her eyes, glancing at Harm and Mac in the rear view mirror, "You're a cop, Rick Hunter! You're driving like a four-year old who stole his daddy's car.."  
  
"Just keep your big mouth shut.." Hunter replied "I just wonder what took me so long to understand how annoying you can be sometimes, McCall! Did anyone ever tell you that you can whine like hell and that your voice can drive a man insane?"  
  
"Thank you for letting me know" McCall answered and stopped talking. The silence in the car was heavy, Harm and Mac didn't speak. The "fight" between Hunter and McCall had been going on ever since they picked them up at the motel but it was obvious that it had been going on before that.  
  
"I wonder what happened last night," Mac whispered, praying to herself Hunter and McCall didn't hear her. They hadn't asked anything about the restaurant dinner last night, McCall and Hunter were too busy fighting. At that same moment McCall broke the silence.  
  
"That light was red, you idiot! Man, one day you'll get me killed..!" she said and raised her hand. She hit Hunter on his shoulder, he pulled the wheel so the car moved from one side of the road to the other and back again to where it belonged. Luckily there weren't any other cars nearby.  
  
"And you say I'll get you killed?" Hunter said sarcastic.  
  
"I have no idea what happened between them, but I guess we missed our goal" Harm answered his girlfriend "All they do is fight..."  
  
McCall heard the whispers in the back and grinned. She and Hunter were doing a great job in letting Harm and Mac believe that they missed their goal. They couldn't be more wrong.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you anyway?" Hunter asked and took his eyes off the road, looking at McCall. The argument continued. They were approaching the airport and it was time to lead this scheme into the right direction.  
  
"The fact that you were gone this morning without a word. No note, no nothing..!" McCall said and glanced into the mirror. She saw the look Harm and Mac shared. "I thought that after what happened last night, you'd at least be there when I woke up. Why did you leave?"  
  
"Because I thought you wanted me to! You were always the one that pushed me away when I tried to come close. But also the one who didn't like any girlfriend I ever had. I thought that you didn't want to see me anymore.." Hunter said and looked at her.  
  
"What happened last night?" Mac asked and bend forward between the two front seats.  
  
McCall turned to her and smiled. "We slept together..."  
  
"And you were trying to make us believe that we missed our goal.." Mac said and nodded "I was wondering why the two of you acted this way. I knew McCall is in love with you and Harm knew you love her too... Nothing could go wrong.."  
  
"Nothing did go wrong..." McCall said and at that moment they arrived at the airport. She looked at Harm and Mac "Nothing went wrong..."  
  
They went to the departure hall and it was time to say goodbye to their knew friends. Harm took Hunter's hand and than he hugged McCall. Hunter hugged Mac and than Mac and McCall hugged each other goodbye.  
  
"Didn't forget anything? Its a long way from Washington DC to Los Angeles.." Hunter said and Harm nodded.  
  
"I have everything I need right here" he said and wrapped an arm around Mac. Hunter did the same with McCall and they laughed. Then they heard a woman's voice over the intercom, saying that passengers of flight 135 to Washington had to board now.  
  
Hunter and McCall watched Harm and Mac walk away. Hunter's arms were wrapped around her and she was leaning against his body."We made some new friends. It was nice working with them.." she said and she felt how Hunter's hand cherished her neck.  
  
"Yeah, it was..." Hunter answered and kissed McCall on her hair "And the best thing of this case is that they brought us together, Dee Dee. And now I finally have you..."  
  
Before they boarded the pane, Harm and Mac turned around and witnessed how Hunter kissed McCall. The two JAG officers looked at each other. Mac smiled.  
  
"We did that just fine, didn't we?" she said and Harm nodded.  
  
"We did, honey. We did...."  
  
THE END 


End file.
